Deal was praised for being one of the strongest communities in the country known to Breast Cancer Now during a fundraising walk on Sunday.

The charity’s new community engagement officer, Daisy Axtell-Powell, took part in the Stepping Out walk, organised annually by voluntary ambassador Kerry Rubins.

Having travelled from Milton Keynes to attend, she gave a speech at the halfway point commenting on how she had fallen in love with Deal.

She also said that in the head office in London, Deal was known as one of the strongest committees dedicated to raising cash in the whole country.

The walk, from Julie’s Bench above Walmer Castle gravel car park to The Chequers Kitchen and back, raised £771 with sponsorship money still to come.

It was completed by 76 people, including Lynn and Colin Cooper, the parents of Miss Rubins’ friend, Julie Mortimer, who died from breast cancer. She calls her charity work Julie’s Legacy.

The youngest participant, who was pushed in his buggy, was six-month-old Toby Gilmore Jennings.

Min Bond, 96, impressed walkers when she joined them at the halfway point to donate £20 and a raffle prize.

Miss Rubins said: “It was a fantastic day not least because Julie made the sun shine for us – she always does.

“We held a minute’s silence for people who have lost their lives to breast cancer. It’s always very powerful.

“If we’re going to reach our vision that by 2050 nobody will die of breast cancer, then we need to keep spreading the awareness and encouraging more and more people to fundraise.

“My huge thanks goes to Stephanie Hayman, Pieter Van Zyl and Gary Rose at the Chequers Kitchen for their homemade treats, Paula Murphy for her wacky warm-up and all the walkers, volunteers and raffle donators.”

The next sponsored walk in aid of Breast Cancer Now, the Crocus Walk 2017, will be on Saturday, March 25.

For more pictures of the Stepping Out walk, pick up this week's East Kent Mercury - out now.